Portable bending brakes are used at job sites for bending relatively thin gauge sheet material, such as metal or plastic sheets used to sheath portions of homes or other buildings. Bending brakes are usually constructed of an array of support castings that are held together by an appropriate frame. The castings are provided with a clamp and a bending structure that clamps and bends sheet material at the open ends of the castings.
To improve the utility of a portable bending brake, it would be desirable to be able to cut and shape a workpiece while the workpiece is clamped in the brake. For example, an operator may wish to cut an edge from the workpiece or to form the edge in some manner. An example of a cutter used in conjunction with a bending brake can be found in French patent No. 2504429 issued to Goubaud, whereas German patent No. DE 4235629 issued to Knoll describes a bending brake provided with both a cutting device and a separate roll forming device.
A need exists for a multifunction machine that would allow an operator to switch easily between cutting and forming accessories at a job site. It would be desirable to provide a multifunction machine that eliminates unnecessary duplication of structure between different cutting and forming accessories. Another design objective of such a multifunction machine is to minimize the weight of the machine and its accessories, all at a low cost.